People like to criticize history for not being an exact science. But history has rules. For example, you can’t create an empire without becoming evil.

    by I_am_white_cat_YT

    18 Comments

    1. AcceptableWheel on

      The whole thing necessitates conquest, at best you are running a civilization spanning protection racket.

    2. Queasy_Manager_5275 on

      yeah but according to the people making the books Europeans are the only civilized ones

    3. zig_zag-wanderer on

      It’s pretty quaint that redditors think 90% of Western imperial history wasn’t mostly dominated by unrestrained adulatory colonial chauvinism

      Ask a 19th century European what they thought about Turks and you will be *begging* for a Reddit socialist to talk to 

    4. BasedAustralhungary on

      Yet people seems to need to justify the later again and again to the point of becoming a personal issue.

      I’m Spaniard and the amount of people that cries about the Black Legend and stuff is so annoying that they create an irony, a Pink Legend that devoured the former.

    5. The huge difference is this. The mongols didn’t go around pretending they were bringing civilization and ethics to savages. Neither the Aztecs. The Ottomans did, but they also thought they were Romans.

      Also a counterpoint. Asoka took an evil empire, openly evil, and created a good polity devoted to humankind.

    6. Aromatic-Economy-261 on

      I like Empires ( Head of state is Emperor and is a bit large), not Empires ( Bent on genocides and war crimes)

    7. All nations have done evil things I think It’s unfair to say that all Empires are inherently bad, as they have also brought plenty of good throughout history through their accomplishments. Some Empires have done more good than bad while others have done way more bad than good

      It also very much matters on the scale rather than being an Empire itself. The Dutch Republic also did plenty of evil things due to It’s strength, same with Venice

      It also depends on the time, many Empires have had times of peace and prosperity, and other times, did brutal conquests and genocides

    8. Trialbyfuego on

      The Europeans were the latest and their legacy is ongoing. I think that’s what people focus on. 

    9. AspiringAuthor99 on

      Not just empires, government period. You can have smaller local government and keep it pretty humble literally and metaphorically, at least for a time. But given time or more power, any human entity will become corrupted and seek to acquire the ever elusive More via conspiracy, sabotage, murder, and worse. It is the literal nature of governing bodies.

    10. One of them is the most recent and contributed the most to how the modern world is today with lasting effects that are still being felt today.

      Going “but what about the Aztecs/Mongols/Ottomans” is 9 times out of 10 *completely irrelevant.*

    11. EchoTitanium on

      And yet people glorify the people who took independance from empires and did something worse after, yeah Americans I’m talking about you.

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